1-2 Players
Designer: Manny Vega
Artist: Sandara Tang
Publisher: Carboard Alchemy
Following the footsteps of its already classic older sibling, the adorable little dragons of Flamecraft now come in Duals form. But is this head to head iteration hold the flame or does it just burns out quickly?
How to Play
Turns in the game are comprised of 3 steps. First, the player draws a token from the bad and places it any open spot or on top of any dragon as long as there is never a stack higher than 3.
Then, the player can fire off the dragon’s ability, and those can be to add more dragons, move other dragons or fire their abilities, which can cause a whole lot of chain effects. Finally, the player can score if they have a pattern in the board that equals the card in their hands. Most points from the scored cards win.
There are a couple of additional modules. Fancy dragons will add player powers, while fountains adds shared scoring opportunities while also adding a fountain to the board, which will get in the way.
Solo is quite simple, every turn the player needs to score a card, from their hand or a fountain card, or spend a coin. If they can’t, they lose. If they are able to score all 6 fountain cards, it’s a victory.
Rules and Components
The rules are fine. It’s a fairly simple and straightforward game, and the rules do a good job in presenting the game in a well structured way explaining briefly each phase and how each dragon works. It does leave some specifics a bit too much to interpretation, which is unfortunate.
I will start the component part with a caveat: I do have the the Deluxe version, so that’s the one I’m reviewing. But, as expected from Cardboard Alchemy, the art is stellar. It’s the gorgeously adorable art of Sandara Tang displayed in all tokens and cards, and they look as good as ever. The dragon tokens are nice and chunky, so satisfying to handle, and the metal coins are pretty and big. I did find the cards a bit on the thin side and quite slippery to handle.
Score: 8/10
Gameplay
This is at its surface quite light and simple, draw a dragon, place it, fire its ability, score. But, in all honesty, this is way more combo-y than expected. There is a lot of chain reaction, specially when 2 types of dragon (breads and leaves) and fire another power, which can in turn fire more and so on.
It’s strikes a great balance of light and gamery, and the results are quite satisfying. On 1v1, your scoring cards are hidden so there is not a lot of hate drafting or spoiling the other movements, it’s more setting up yours and seeing the opportunities immediately. It’s pretty much a tactical game, not a lot of long term strategy, it’s who can be the most efficient in terms of opportunities.
Solo is a bit more strategic, since you do know you have to setup and score all 6 fountains, and each is comprised of a 4 in a row of a single type. But, since you don’t know which order they will appear, there is a lot in making sure you have open opportunities each turn.
Score: 8.5/10
Theme and Art
On one end, the game is for the most part quite abstract. The scoring cards have no names, the dragons are all the same and there is no lore described. It’s a game solidly based on its mechanisms, and in fact you could replace the theme and it could work just as well.
But why would you though? The art is disconnected, yes, but as I mentioned it’s beautiful and evoking, and there is so much cuteness your heart my just explode. It has a small size but great table presence, and the art does vibe well with the relaxed theme of the gameplay.
Score: 7.5/10
Conclusion
First of all, the obvious question: if I like Flamecraft, will I like the Duals version? Sincerely, there is absolutely no answering that. Aside from art, the game are mostly disconnected, though there is a sense of familiarity on a surface level with the dragon powers.
On its own, Flamecraft Duals is a chill but engaging abstract game, quick to play but has enough to keep you coming back. There isn’t a lot to discover, it’s all pretty much at your face, but it’s a game that will reward multiple gameplays in terms of acquired skill and board understanding.
I think Duals fits right into my collection for when I want a quick investment of time and brainpower, but still will come out satisfied with a gaming experience. And, adding to that, manipulating those chonky pieces is so fun!
Score: 8/10
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